The Text of Integral Humanism

Chapter 4, Part 2

It is essential,
therefore, to use up that portion of the available natural resources which
the nature will be able to recoup easily. When the fruits are taken, the
fruit tree is not injured: it may even be helpful to the tree. However,
in the effort to take a greater harvest from the land chemical fertilizers
are used which in a few years time render the land altogether infertile.
Lakhs of acres of land lie barren in America due to this factor. How long
this dance of destruction can go on ?

The destruction provides
for depreciation fund to replace the machines when worn out. Then how
can we neglect the depreciation fund for nature. From this point of view,
it must be realized that the object of our economic system should be,
not extravagant use of available resources, but a well regulated use.
The physical objects necessary for a purposeful, happy and progressive
life must be obtained. The Almighty has provided as much. It will not
be wise, however, to engage into a blind rat-race of consumption and production
as if man is created for the sole purpose of consumption. Engine needs
coal for its proper working, but it has not been produced merely to consume
coal. On the contrary it is only proper always to see that with the minimum
coal-consumption, maximum energy is produced. This is the economic view
point. Keeping in view the aim of human life, we must endeavor to see
how with the minimum of fuel, man proceeds to his goal with the maximum
speed. Such a system alone can be called civilization. This system will
not think of merely a single aspect of human life but of all its aspects
including the ultimate aim. This system will not thrive on the exploitation
of nature but will sustain nature and will in turn itself be nourished.
Milking rather than exploitation should be our aim. The system should
be such that overflow from nature is used to sustain our lives.

If such human angle
inspires the economic system than our thinking on the economic question
will undergo through transformation. In the Western economics, whether
it is capitalist or socialist, value has the most important and central
position. All economic theories centre around value. It may be that the
analysis of value is very important from the point of view of the economist
but, those social philosophers which are based entirely on value are for
incomplete, inhuman and to some extent unethical take. For example, the
slogan commonly heard now-a-days "one must earn his bread". Normally communists
use this slogan but even the capitalists are not fundamentally in disagreement
with it. If there is any difference between !hem, it is only as regards
who earns and how much. The capitalists consider capital and enterprise
as important components of production and hence if they take a major share
of profits. they think it is their due. On the other hand, communists
believe only labor to be the main factor in production. Therefore they
concede major share of production to the laborers. Neither of these ideas
is correct. Really speaking. our slogan should be that the one who earns
will feed and every person will have enough to eat.. The right to food
is a birthright. The ability to earn is a result of education and training.
In a society even those who do not earn must have food. The children and
the old, the diseased and the invalids, all must be eared for by the society.
Even society generally fulfills this responsibility. The social and cultural
progress of mankind ties in the readiness to fulfill this responsibility.
The economic system must provide for this task. Economics as a science
does not account for this responsibility. A man works not merely for bread
alone, but also to shoulder this responsibility. Otherwise those who have
had their meals would no longer work.

Any economic system
must provide for the minimum basic necessities of human life to everyone.
Food, clothing and shelter constitute, broadly speaking these basic necessities.
Similarly, the society must enable the individual to carry out his obligations
to the society by properly educating him. Lastly, in the event of an individual
falling a prey to any disease. society must arrange for his treatment
and maintenance. If a government provides these minimum requirements,
then only it is a rule of Dharma. Otherwise, it is a rule of Adharma.
Describing the King Dilip, Kalidas has said in Raghuvansha "Being responsible
for the maintenance. protection and education of his subjects, he was
their true farther. Others were merely instrumental in giving them their
birth". The description of king Bharat after whom our country has been
named Bharat, also runs similarly, i.e. "by maintaining and protecting
his subjects he was called Bharat." This is his country, Bharat, if in
this country maintenance and protection are not guaranteed, then the name
Bharat is meaningless.

Education
- A Social Responsibility

To
educate a child is in the interest of the Society itself. By birth a child
is an animal. He becomes a responsible member of the society only by education
and culture. To charge fees for something which is in the interest of
the society itself a rather odd. If due to the inability to pay the fees,
children are left without education, will the society endure the situation
for long? We do not charge fee from trees for sowing the seed and caring
for the supplying. On the contrary we invest our money and efforts. We
know that when the tree grows, we shall reap fruits.

Education is a similar
investment. An educated individual will indeed serve the society. On the
other hand it will not be surprising if people grow indifferent to the
society which leave them to fend for themselves. Before 1947, in all the
princely states In India, no fees were charged for education. The highest
education was free. In the Gurukulas, even food and lodging were arranged
with out any charge. The student used to go to the society for "Bhiksha".
No householder would refuse the Bhiksha to the student. In other words,
society used to bear the burden of education.

Similarly, it is
rather surprising that medical treatment must be paid for. In fact, medical
treatment also should be free as it was in this country in the past. Now-a-days
one has to pay even to gain entrance to a temple. In Tirupathi, to enter
the Balaji temple, there is a charge of 0.25 paise. However, at noon for
one hour, there is Dharma Darshan, which means, during that time, no ticket
is needed, as if at other times there is Adharma Darshan. The society
should guarantee to all members minimum requirements for maintenance and
progress of every individual. Now the question arises that if everyone
is to be guaranteed the minimum necessities, where will the resources
for all this come from?